Job hunting can be hard, so you want to make sure that all your time and effort doesn’t go to waste. There are some things that you can have that will firstly make finding the right job easier and make you more likely to land the job, too. Without further ado here they are.

Resume

This should be fairly basic, but you need to have a convincing resume. If your resume isn’t up to scratch then you are unlikely to get hired. This means that it needs to be clearly laid out and it needs to sell you. What is meant by this is that you need to show how good you are and what an asset you will be to a future employer.

Every line on your resume is a way for you to convince someone who you have skills and experience in certain areas. If you are struggling to write a convincing resume, then there is wealth of information, examples and support available online. Another great option is to send it to an agency and then if they like you they will likely work with you to improve your resume.

It is always worth getting another set of eyes on your resume before sending it out for job applications, so whether you ask a friend to look at or seek out a profession in recruitment, just make sure you’ve had somebody check it over.

Professional Email Address

You need to have a professional email address. It can end in @gmail.com or @hotmail.com but it cannot be a joke email or your personal account. It should include your name and numbers if needed. It needs to be professional as it will be the first thing many employers see from you and if it is silly or unprofessional then you likely won’t even be able to get them to open your email. If you currently have a job, then don’t use that email account either.

Firstly, you don’t want your current employers to know that you are applying for a new job in your current jobs time and secondly you want to be able to access this email at all times. It is quick, easy and free to set up a professional email through sites like Gmail, so if you don’t have one already then go set one up.

Business Cards

You can get a set of business cards quite cheap and they are a great way to distribute your details to potential employers.

Also since people won’t know who you are because you don’t have something like name badges on, a so business cards are an excellent way to get name recognition and network.

Always carry a few with you so that you can hand one to the right person. They are inexpensive and could mean that you get invited to an interview at your dream job.

Confidence

This one is key. You need to believe in yourself. If you aren’t confident in your own skills, then when should an employer be. You need to know what your strengths are and embrace them. In an interview and application process you need to sell yourself and confidence is all about doing exactly that.

You need to be able to say what you are brilliant at and why that is beneficial for your prospective employer. At the same time though you need to recognize your weaknesses and not let them rule you. If you know you aren’t good at something, you need to learn how to overcome it and not hide from it. In an interview ‘What is your biggest weakness’, is a common question and one that you need to be able to confidently answer.

Everyone has things that they are good and bad at and if you can’t think of any just ask your friends and they will surely be able to oblige for either one.

LinkedIn Account

LinkedIn in is possibly the most important way you can promote yourself online. It acts as a digital resume and details your work history, skills, education and anything else relevant to an employer. You need to keep it up to date and ensure that it is well written and convincing.

You also need to understand that a lot of employers use LinkedIn like a search engine. This means that they are looking for specific keywords and if you are looking for employment in a specific sector then you need to ensure it is mentioned in your profile.

You should also have friendly, professional profile picture as this will help to humanize you and make you more likable to employers.

This post has been contributed by Ryan Gatt, it may contain affiliate links.